Mend your ways or will dismiss you: Amarinder Singh warns SHO

Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh on 12 October stormed into a police station in Gurdaspur district of Punjab, accusing the Station House Officer (SHO) of threatening party workers and asking them to join the Akali Dal.

Responding to a number of complaints from local party workers, who alleged that the SHO was openly threatening them and asking them to join Akali Dal, the PCC president went to the Kotli Surat Malhi Police Station to lodge the protest.

A number of party workers, who had gathered at the police station, told Capt Amarinder that the SHO was allegedly threatening Congress workers. The Punjab Congress chief warned the SHO to stop the alleged harassment of party workers failing which he will dismiss him when the Congress comes to power.

"Let me warn all such police officials that I will use the special powers vested in the government under Article 311 to dismiss all of them in case they do not mend their ways," he told reporters.

"Enough is enough and I won't let anyone to get away with the persecution of my party workers," the PCC chief, who was accompanied by the local MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, said.

One of the party workers confronted the SP in-charge of the police station, with "evidence" that the SHO had asked him to join Akali Dal. He said, when he refused, he was allegedly slapped with a false case.

The SHO and the DSP were not present in the police station when the former Chief Ministermade the visit. The workers alleged that a lot of cases have been registered at the instance of the Akali leaders. Amarinder said he will use the special powers vested with the government to dismiss all such cops if the Congress comes to power. "I did it in 2002 and I will do it again in case the cops do not mend their ways", he warned.

The PCC president also spoke to one of the senior police officers over phone and conveyed his strong displeasure over the way the SHOs had been treating Congress workers.